


Don't Leave

by NervousAliceCurious



Series: Poisonous Little World [3]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), The Mist - Stephen King
Genre: F/M, Skepticism, Three Factions - Freeform, in-fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-08 00:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20984699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: Some believe it, some don't. Which side are you on?





	Don't Leave

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's in trouble again.
> 
> Warnings for gore, blood, predictions of death/suicide discussion. Censored swearing as usual. And guns.

Dizzy.

I did _not_ feel good at all.

Something had been battering away at me during the fortification efforts.

It could’ve been the anxiety of not knowing if this would work…

But more likely it was due to the head injury I’d just received.

At any rate, if I stuck around here for much longer, I was definitely going to throw up.

I didn’t think they would appreciate that too much.

*

_Hello again, bathroom._

_Feels like I was just here._

Trying to keep awake, I turned on the faucet, and splashed some water on my face…

-?

Under the door of the last stall.

I could see…

A pair of bloodied shoes.

“…”

_Who-_

“Hello?”

No answer.

…

I walked over to them, whomever they were…

KNOCK-KNOCK-

“Are you okay?”

The door slid inward.

It wasn’t locked.

—!

“Le…Lele!?”

She was sitting there, head lolling back as if asleep!

Covered in clots, and grip wounds…

“You-“

-She snapped forward and grabbed me-

Hauling herself up to snarl in my ear:

_My death is on your head!!_

*

_-Huh!?_

My hand went to my collar, sure it would feel white-knuckling fingers with a death grip-

Nothing.

I…

I was lying on the bathroom floor.

Staring up at the eye-burning fluorescent lighting…?

. . .?

What…

I clutched at my aching head as I sat up.

That silhouette still smashed into the wall behind me-

I’d…been dreaming?

-With a shock, I realized that not even two feet away from me was that stall!

A shudder ran down my spine…

Afraid to look, but I had to know-

I gently nudged it open with my foot.

No ghosts…

No sign that what I’d experienced had come from reality.

I really _had_ been dreaming.

*

I waited a moment for the spinning to stop.

If I got up now, I would just fall-

Send myself straight back into whatever H* I’d left.

…What was that even about?

Where did that even come from!?

_You know darn well._

…

*

Standing, I _still_ almost fell over.

…I needed to go find an ice pack.

?

Um-

What else did one do after probably getting a concussion?

Tell…someone…

…

Uh…wasn’t looking forward to that…

I pulled the door open, and walked right into drama.

…I should’ve stayed inside.

-

“So if we can’t party, what do we do?”

She just wanted to know…

“I don’t know”, GloZell admitted, “But I must confess…that I’m a bit skeptical of y’all here”.

“What”.

-The Exor Crew picked that exact moment to come back from whatever it was they’d been doing far from prying eyes.

Matt H.’s voice was so steel it was terrifying.

“You said she died, and the town Romeo and his friends have been goin’ around claiming a monstro did it!”

“Hey!”

MatPat protested-

“And what is there to doubt about that?”

“Yeah”, Tim spoke up.

“Don’t go talkin’ s*”.

“I am _not_ talkin’ s*!”

“But that’s what it sounds like…” Oli mumbled.

“Yeah, why would you even-“

Sierra blinked the tears out of her eyes.

Eva just glared.

Stony and silent.

“…Look”.

GloZell’s tone changed from confrontational to actually a smidge reasonable.

“I’m just sayin’ all of this is hard to believe without tangible proof!”

“…She does have a point”, JC supported.

(Mayor Janet bit her lip).

“Even so, their pain is real”.

Calliope.

“I can see it plain as day”.

“I know-and I do, but-“

“But what”.

The YouTuber formally known as ‘Mylifeaseva’, stalked across the distance between them.

“But it’s just that I can’t get behind a conclusion that I don’t even know exists”.

“…Yeah, I’m having trouble believing it too”, Teala quietly put out there.

_“You-“_

Eva countered,

“Need to wake up before it’s too late.

And _you-“_

She wheeled on her former friend.

“I _trusted_ you”.

“I’m sorry-“

“No”.

The silence in the room became so deep that one could hear a pin drop.

“I don’t want to hear it”.

…

-

“This isn’t random chance, you know”.

Tana rolled her eyes.

Oh great.

The three Weirdos, at it again-

“This is a sign that the Cursed God is coming!”

“Yeah-huh. And I’m Trisha Paytas”, Nikita snorted.

“You can scoff now”, Weirdo 2 snapped, “But when he _does_ manifest here, mark my words that every single Unbeliever will die”.

“Nice guy”, Jesse remarked.

“Care to tell us what he looks like so we’ll be able to avoid him on the road?”

“He is much larger than this earth, and infinitely more complex”.

Weirdo 3 boomed, eyes bright with a near-religious fervor.

“…Yeah, okay. But what does he look like-“

“Like this?”

Roi held out his phone, a Cthullu-Squidward like critter looming on the tiny screen…for all to laugh at.

“Dude, you seriously looked that up?”

Alex was grinning away while Lauren tittered into her hand.

“Yup!”

“Aw, he’s almost cute!” Rosanna peeped closer.

“Boop!”

-The image -Xed out.

“Oh no!”

“It’s fine!” he reassured her.

“Don’t worry about it”.

“I guess we’ll have no trouble identifying him now, huh?” the self-proclaimed Saloon Girl joked.

Weirdo 3 growled.

“How **dare** you mock him!

He is our _leader!!”_

“Looks pretty crappy to me”, Colleen deadpanned.

Weirdo 1 let out a scandalized gasp.

“How could you say that…!”

Weirdo 2 sneered.

“You’re all idiots.

All of you”.

“Indeed”.

The Head B* purposefully raised her hands-and a knife!!?

“In order to appease Him for this disrespect, we must make a Hallowed Sacrifice-“

**SLAP**

…

She stared.

At Stephanie.

_“That._

Is enough of that.

No one-is killing anyone!!”

“…”

“Wow”, Safiya breathed.

“Do not mess with Mrs. Patrick.

Or you will die”.

-

Belle felt a trickle of blood erupt from her left nostril.

Slowly lowering the blade, she daintily swept the droplet onto her fingertip.

“…That’s one.

Anyone care to donate more?”

She held it into the air while the rest of the Heathens grumbled amongst themselves and snickered:

“Is she serious!?” (Joey)

“You know what, I think she is”. (Andrea R.)

“Like h* I’m gonna do that!” (Gabbie)

“Me neither”. (Husky)

“I can think of better things to do-“ (Bretman)

“Sounds kind of interesting, actually”. (Shane)

“Dude, no!” (Alex)

She wasn’t discouraged…

Because soon enough-

“Soon enough His forces will be converging upon us in the night.

And, as you Doubters fall…us True Champions will rise”.

“Oh get off your High Horse”.

She scowled.

She wouldn’t be surprised if the traitorous Vampire was the next to go.

*

…Well that ended…fine?

I think…

Nobody got dragged too hard, at any rate.

Except maybe poor Teala…

As the crowd dispersed, she folded in on herself.

Luckily, Roi and JC were there to help…

…Those five had gone from lovable goofballs to absolutely terrifying in the span of an hour.

I now knew what _not_ to do while they were around.

*

_Oh…that isn’t good…_

Colleen poked her head around a convenient column of soup cans to spy Riley being whispered to by the We Three Soothsayers of Eternal Destruction.

_They’re gonna be a bad influence on her._

…In fact, she was all set to barge in on them, wicker-red basket at the ready for maximum-whackage potential-

“You okay?”

MatPat.

“Oh, I’m holding up pretty well despite the circumstances-“

Despite not even knowing if Flynn and her baby were alright-

“It’s her I’m worried for”.

“-Oof.

Yeah, those ladies do _not_ seem like good company”.

“Shall we go interrupt their private affair?”

“No…they’re leaving on their own”.

“Aw”.

…

“Colleen?”

“Hm?”

“…You’re scared they’re dead.

Aren’t you?”

…

She swallowed and felt the growing lump.

“A little…”

He didn’t say a word.

Just rubbed her shoulder as the only real comfort he could give.

That, and-

“If we’re surviving here, I’m sure Erik is, too”.

“…But what if he’s on his way home?

What if some tentacled beast has already gone and eaten up my child-!?”

“It’ll be okay”.

“No it won’t”.

“…Maybe not, but we have to try to keep up our hope anyway”.

“I know…I know…”

She tried to smile despite the fear.

“I know”.

-

“Alright”.

The Mayor pitched her voice to be heard over the general hub bub.

“We’ve fortified the glass-plating, and we have plenty of supplies available to us here in case the Mist lasts for the next week and a half”.

“You really think it’ll stay for that long?” Rosanna said aloud, a thread of worry in her voice.

“I don’t know, but it can’t hurt to prepare for the Worst Case Scenario in advance”.

“Mom’s right”.

Mortimer looked from one tense face to the other.

“After what’s happened so far today, if we let our guards down at all…”

“We’ll be dead”, Manny finished.

“…I wouldn’t call it _that_ dire yet”.

She still wanted to keep the panic down as much as possible.

“However, what would also be a good idea is to take stock of our weapons”.

…Everyone looked at each other.

“The lethal kitchen tools?”

Justine shrugged, and then grimaced.

“There’s always the tool kits”, Roi suggested.

“Cedric and I have blasters”, a blonde with a pixy-cut piped up.

“Only two”, he corrected wearily.

“…”

_Okay…kind of dismal odds._

_-But we can work with what we’ve got!_

“…I have a gun as well”.

Jesse.

He unpacked it from his side-satchel, an impassive expression on his face.

“Oh my God!” Justine exclaimed.

“How many bullets does that thing have?”

“Five rounds in my pockets”.

“Whoa!” Roi’s eyes grew wide.

“How!?”

Tana’s jaw had dropped with disbelief.

“I always carry it with me for self-defense”.

“Sir, you are a man of Legend”.

Arthur raised an impressed eyebrow.

“Thanks”.

He grinned.

“I try…”

-

“Okay”.

GloZell’s characteristic volume popped the bubble of incredulousness that had formed at his revealing.

“I think I’m outta here”.

“Yeah, me too”, Teala sniffled.

“I’m game”, JC shrugged.

“-If you’re going, then I’m going too!”

Roi hurriedly gathered the two of them into a hug.

“I won’t let you brave the dangers of the Night alone!!”

“Aww…”

She hugged him back.

“Thanks man”.

“Anytime!”

“But…”

Rosanna’s bottom lip quivered.

“But what if something bad happens to you?”

“Oh no! Ro, don’t be sad-“

Roi looked stricken!

“Here-“

He zoomed down a couple aisles, and then zoomed up with a pile of rope.

“I’ll tie this around my waist-“

Proceeded to haphazardly do so-

“And then you guys can hang onto the other end”.

Feeding it out to Ro, who was first in line!

“That way, you’ll be able to tell how far we make it, or if we…”

He went quiet then, but put on a brave countenance.

“Anyway-“

“See you guys later…” Tana whispered.

“You’re sure you want to do this”, MatPat checked.

“Positive”, GloZell said.

“…I just want to go home”, Teala mumbled.

“JC?”

Stephanie silently pleaded with her eyes-

“Somebody’s gotta take a status report…”

“This is highly unwise”, Mayor Janet cautioned.

“But…”

“‘But’ nothing!” Tim cried out.

“What you four are doing is pure suicide-!!”

“You won’t be singing that when we send y’all a telegram”.

“Please don’t!” Sierra begged.

“Sorry sister, but we’re doin’ it”.

“Matt, stop them-!”

“No, let them”.

The three sisters smirked.

“They would obviously rather die than be saved”.

-Luckily, Matt didn’t listen.

“Hey-!!”

But they were too close to the door.

To be stopped.

Thus, Matt ended up running out with them!

“NO!” Sierra screamed-

“I’ll stop him!”

Tim tore out the door as well.

“DON’T!!”

Jesse sighed.

“…I’ll go save them now.

Wish me luck”.

“-Good luck!”

Flashing one last grin at Ro, he was the last to leave.

-

No one spoke.

Just waited…

The line went slack.

Rosanna’s heart stalled-

“Wh-what!?”

“Did something happen?”

Husky tried to see out through the glass.

“Uh, I-“

Before Joey could finish his sentence.

“OW-!”

The rope was now being violently wound through her hands, up into the sky, dragging her along like a fisherwoman who’d met her titanic match!!

“OWOWOWOWOWOW-!!”

“RO!!”

Her boyfriend’s strong arms wrapped around her waist before she could bump into the door.

“Hang on-“

“Ro!”

“Ro we’re coming-!!”

Her best friends!

They were helping to pull her back-

It went slack again.

**-THUD!!**

The floor was quite hard-

“What was that?” Safiya blurted.

“I don’t know, but Thank _God_ you’re okay!!”

Husky bundled the smaller woman into an oxygen-crushing embrace of pure relief!!!!

-

“So”.

“So-“

Joey and MatPat looked at each other.

They both gulped.

“Who wants to bring in our catch?”

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

“I’ll do it!” Rosanna volunteered.

“But Ro-“

Husky gently cupped her hands.

Burnt, bleeding-red.

“You’re hurt-“

“I know…but Roi did this for us!”

She padded over to the fallen rope, resolutely taking hold.

“We should at least make sure he’s still on the other end”.

So saying, Rosanna pulled…and pulled…and pulled…

_Crimson._

Her heartbeat thumped in her ears.

_Heavy._

** _Solid-_ **

Roi’s…

Lower.

Trunk.

…

Intestines spilling out of it, a trail of gorn accompanying it wherever-

She tossed the rope away, and **vomited.**

-

“Roi…Teala…JC…Tim…Matt…Jesse…GloZell…”

Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Faster…

Faster-

“They…they’re all-“

Tremors racked her slight frame.

“They’re all…dead”.

*

It _hurt_ to see her cry.

Ro…

Crumpled on the floor, sobbing.

“…”

Husky held her close while her Soulbrother rubbed her back.

“_Now_ do you believe me?” Arthur said quietly.

Calliope shook her head at him.

“Not now”.

…And so Day One ended.

With nine lives lost.

**Author's Note:**

> Chala's gonna fly to the states to poke me-
> 
> Ooof. TT Poor babies...


End file.
